A caring mum who is a ‘health fanatic’ was given a heartbreaking diagnosis after visiting her GP when she began to suffer from tiredness.
Natalie Hughes, discovered lumps on her neck and within a matter of weeks she said her ‘world came crashing down’ when she was told she had follicular lymphoma.
The 29-year-old mum-of-one was given the diagnosis on March 21 and had to undergo several blood tests, biopsies, CT and Pet scans across the four different hospitals before she was told that her cancer was stage four, the Liverpool Echo reports.
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Unfortunately Natalie was then told that the cancer had spread to her bones and that it was also spreading to her vital organs.
Sister Natasha Ashton, 34, told the ECHO: "She got checked in March and was diagnosed really fast, straight away. It was devastating, we are all heartbroken. She was at the gym every day, healthy eating, she is the last person you'd expect it to happen to.
"She's just amazing, she's my rock. She's the rock for us all. She's really inspiring, I don't know how she's dealing with it all."
The family have made the courageous decision to share Natalie’s journey in the hopes that they can raise awareness around the condition and to encourage people to check their bodies and seek urgent medical attention if something does not seem right.
Natasha added: "As a family we want to raise awareness of the cancer that Natalie has and it can happen to anyone."
The family is hoping Natalie, who was studying a second degree in therapeutic counselling, will be able to go abroad for treatment which could increase her remission time. Natasha added: "We want her to have a longer life and be in remission for longer. It's incurable but this treatment gives her a longer time in remission. It's already spread everywhere."
Natalie, who has a degree in health and social wellbeing, is said to be coming to terms with everything and is currently seeking out treatment options. The family said: "Us as a family alongside Natalie are trying to come to terms with everything that is happening right now as everything is still raw, it has been truly heart-breaking but the love and support around Natalie is helping her to fight back and try to get through such a tough time."
Follicular lymphoma
According to Cancer Research UK, follicular lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Each year around 2,600 people are diagnosed in the UK.
Common symptoms include:
- Painless swellings in the neck, armpit or groin - these are enlarged lymph nodes.
- Heavy sweating at night
- High temperatures that come and go
- Losing a lot of weight
- Some people also report unexplained itching
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